KokoroEcho's Pokémon Chronicles
Entry 6

Akashiro Himiko

ALL THE POWER OF ALOLA

Written by UKEagleClaw

The sun shone high over the islands of Alola. But while the blue, cloudless sky looked content, peaceful even, the summit of Wela Volcano was a different story: shouting, smoke, and small explosions. The ingredients of battle carried into the atmosphere overhead, and the Alolan sun was watching Akala Island and its heated battle eagerly, hot with anticipation.

Two young trainers were breathing heavily and were sweating with the exertions of battle. The challenger had travelled far, but not for Alola's Island Challenge. For a different reason and, for her, a trial and some stupid stamp meant nothing when compared.

Because Akashiro Himiko's entire life had been leading to this moment. As she stood on ground that might have been familiar to her in some parallel universe, she knew she had to win. Victory would be their redemption.

Himiko glared at her opponent with brown eyes so dark they looked almost red, a common trait amongst her family. Her dark brown hair flowed wildly. She wore old ripped jeans and a faded top. Other kids her age might have been more concerned with their appearance, but she was too preoccupied with her goal to care for such trivial things. She brushed hair out of her eyeline, and that was good enough for her.

She had planned to be aggressive, to scare her opponent, and throw him off his game. It might have worked on other kids. His face looked no more than 11-years-old, but he was tall for his age and his well-muscled physique showed that his family had been preparing him for his role as Trial Captain all his life. His eyes, as black as obsidian, gave nothing away.

Beads of sweat trickled down Himiko's forehead. She was still trying her best to combat the heat and recover her breath. It's so hot! her mind screamed.

Don't you think I'm aware of that?! her subconscious snapped back.

They had been battling for what seemed like hours and Himiko had already had to hike her way up the volcano. Overeager hikers and stupid sightseers had been naïve enough to challenge the scowling teen. All had returned their Pokémon and scurried off downhill to the nearest Pokémon Centre. Shouldn't have messed with me then, she'd thought when they'd criticised her brutality. She had inflicted as much misery on them as she had been planning to inflict on her opponent.

Kiawe.

He stood there, so expressionless, looking oblivious to the crimes of his family.

Hatred rushed through her and overpowered her emotions. Hatred curled her fingers until her hands turned to fists. Hatred made her picture being back at her local dojo in Celestic Town and whacking him around the head with her shinai, even though her sensei would have disapproved. Her heart pounded. She wanted to crush him so much, but she knew the only way to avenge what had happened was to beat him in a Pokémon battle.

Ever since she had found out what they had done, she had been overcome with determination to right the wrongs of the past.

"TORKOAL!" she yelled. "ATTACK! BURN THEM OFF THE FACE OF THE REGION WITH OVERHEAT!"

The 12-year-old had been searching for him all year. Every time it looked like she was close, she'd find out he'd left town and travelled someplace else. Promotional posters, empty arenas, and colourful confetti were left in his wake. By the time she did catch up to him, other trainers were making their last pushes to earn badges before the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Whenever it got cold and the wind and the rain lashed against her, or when she found herself unable to beat a wild Pokémon or another trainer and had to turn and run, her frustration had gotten the better of her. She'd wondered whether it would be easier to just give up. When she had set out, she hadn't known it would take this long to track down just one guy . . . even if he was a member of Sinnoh's Elite Four.

But every time she'd felt lost, she had reminded herself of the intense battle that awaited her. She gathered herself up and toughed out snowstorms, high winds, whatever terrible conditions she found herself in, with the hope that today would be the day pushing her forward.

The one advantage of the delay in finding him was that it had given her extra time to train. She thought she had prepared suitably, but, well, the battle wasn't going as well as she'd envisioned . . .

"Monferno! No . . ." She gritted her teeth and glared at her opponent. He'd taken off his long black trench coat with red trim earlier in the battle to reveal a white tank top and, to the delight shrieks of several fangirls in the crowd, his bulging muscles, which he flexed multiple times. Himiko had just found their reactions and his posing irritating. His long black hair, perfect jawline, and almost-sparkling white teeth had only drawn more admiration from the crowd. He wore black leather jeans like he was a member of the Obstagoons. She hardly noticed the glass bracelet of petrified lilies on his wrist. From what she knew and had heard about the Elite Four on her journey, she had been expecting . . . well, something else.

The referee raised a flag and dramatically announced, "Monferno is unable to battle! That means, your winner is—the Brutal King of Fiery Execution—it's KAWAHARA HAYATO!"

Hayato smirked. "Another win. How many's that now? Hmm, should be . . . number 210," he said it as if he hadn't been keeping count. He had.

Some booed. They thought he sounded arrogant—would his winning streak ever end?—but others found his showmanship and bad attitude cool. The cheers equalled the boos.

Himiko took out her Poké Ball. She gripped it tightly, wishing she had the strength to crush it. Then she sighed and returned Monferno. You should have done more, she wasn't sure if her mind was telling Monferno or her that.

Hayato strolled over. "Not bad, kid!"

When she had challenged Hayato, he had demanded the battle take place in front of a crowd. Locals had pointed them towards the nearest sandy battlefield. A crowd so large had gathered that the outer white markings of the battlefield were lost underneath the feet of spectators. Some on the fringes had already left, but the majority were still watching. Himiko hadn't expected to be battling in front of a crowd and was embarrassed by her performance.

"But I was terrible! Only one of your Pokémon fainted." Her voice lowered to a murmur. She usually talked more loudly, but she lacked the confidence she usually had. "All three of mine did . . ."

Hayato shook his head vigorously. "It's your first year as a trainer, right?" he murmured so the crowd wouldn't hear.

Himiko nodded, too disappointed in herself to say anymore.

"And guess what?" Hayato raised his voice. "I'm Kawahara Hayato! Master of Fire, and Sinnoh Elite Four member! The Brutal King of Fiery Execution! Damn, saying that never gets old. I've been training Pokémon for at least ten times the time you have! And there's a lot of trainers like you, who want to see what they've got against an Elite Four, but most of them can't even incinerate a single one of my Pokémon." He smirked at the crowd. "A bunch of losers, just like all of you!" They booed. "But you . . . you remind me of someone. I like you. You and your Pokémon burn with the determination I like to see in all young trainers! You should be pleased!"

He winked at her and Himiko's disappointment wavered. She felt her confident self returning. Hayato's right. It took plenty of years for him to get that strong. If I want to be the greatest Fire-type trainer, I've got to keep improving.

Hayato stepped closer and spoke quietly: "I may be a Fire-type trainer, but Sinnoh's a cold region. Not particularly renowned for its Fire-type Pokémon. If you really wanna get stronger using Fire-types, why don't you head to a region like Hoenn or Kalos? Ciprys or Kalos even. There's strong Fire-type trainers in all four. If you can beat a few of them, come back, challenge me, and show me how much brighter your flame is!"

But after travelling to Lavaridge Town, and on her second attempt beating the local gym leader, Himiko had been staying with grandparents on her mother's side, only to discover a startling truth: her ancestors had left Alola following a dispute with those who now called themselves Trial Captains.

Himiko could remember her mother telling her younger self stories of their family's adventures in Alola, in Hoenn, and in Sinnoh. Until Himiko had grown up enough to grow tired of bedtime stories and had started to doubt their authenticity. She had known she had relatives who lived across the globe, but her mother's stories had felt more like fiction than reality.

She had called her mother the day after finding out. Her mother confirmed what had happened in Alola, but said no one alive knew the full details before telling her daughter, "It doesn't matter now. We've all moved on."

But Himiko had lay awake that night, wondering what might have been. If things had been different, maybe she would have been training to be the next Trial Captain—whatever that meant—in Alola. She had searched Alola on the internet, but only scowled at her screen as her investigation uncovered how Alola had deformed Vulpix and Ninetales into Ice-type Pokémon!

As minutes turned into hours, Himiko had decided she couldn't ignore her feeling that her family had been mistreated. Her anger flared, and by the time morning came, she was preparing to travel to Alola—to set things right.

But she had to admit, Kiawe had been trained well. She was down to her last Pokémon; he still had two remaining. She bit her lower lip as she produced a scratched and dented red-and-white Poké Ball that was hardly immaculate. She wiped sweat from her forehead, then breathed out before clicking the button and releasing her final Pokémon.

You've been on my team ever since my journey began. You may not be from Alola and I've only known you for two years, not long really, but you're part of my family too and I know you can avenge us. I believe in you . . .

A large primate-like Pokémon materialised from the energy that streamed out of the Poké Ball. His fur was a mix of reddish-brown and thicker white. Gold markings protected his shoulders, chest, knuckles, and knees, and a large flame streaked behind him from atop his head. Himiko's Pokémon said nothing, but you could tell by the look in his eyes, he was confident.

Infernape had seen Himiko through many tight battles in the past, but nothing could change the fact that Kiawe still had two Pokémon remaining. Himiko blamed herself for that. She'd been caught off guard by Kiawe's battling ability. It's going to be a close one, she predicted.

It took longer than Himiko would have liked, but Infernape did topple Kiawe's second-last Pokémon. It was now down to Infernape and Kiawe's final Pokémon.

"Infernape, hit 'em hard! Hit 'em fast!"

A silvery aura surrounded Infernape. He shot forwards with unexpected speed.

"Marowak, quick! Counter with Bonemerang!"

Himiko had been surprised upon seeing Kiawe's Marowak. It was darker in colour than its Kanto form, and Himiko had had to guess its type; because of the blue-green flames on both tips of its bone-club, she'd guessed Fire. Like their previous Pokémon, only the strongest of Fire-type attacks would deal any significant damage. She had tried Flamethrower from a distance, but that had done little to wear down Marowak's formidable defence and she suspected she had to do something before Infernape suffered from facing consecutive opponents; non-Fire-type moves were best used, she knew, however much of a betrayal it felt like.

"Maro-wak!" Marowak cried as he flung his bone at Infernape.

Himiko didn't have time to say anything. Even if she had done, it wouldn't have made a difference. Infernape saw Marowak's bone spinning towards him and leaped into the air, clearing the bone with ease, before, now high in the air, angling his body towards Marowak and diving like a Flying-type.

"Flame Wheel!" Kiawe said quickly.

Infernape was closer than ever to striking his target, but Marowak closed his eyes, waited patiently. Heat intensified nearby. Himiko only realised where from as Marowak's bone flew back towards him, past her vision, spinning and flames all around. But Infernape was still on course to hit Marowak before his bone could reach them.

It would be close, though, and Himiko knew from Infernape's pained expression just before he had attacked with Aerial Ace that he couldn't take much more.

"Pull out!" she decided. "Infernape, pull out! Change of plan!"

Infernape was a proud Pokémon and had gone through a phase of disagreeing with her commands, but over time his confidence in his trainer had returned and ultimately increased. Without hesitation he spread his arms wide, slowing. He flipped forwards, and as soon as he landed, flipped backwards. Marowak's bone did return to him, but Infernape was now out of reach. Marowak grabbed his bone and twirled it restlessly; more flames than usual were dancing around him, Himiko noticed.

But Marowak's display and the raised temperature did not faze Infernape. He sneered at Marowak, and once his trainer uttered her command, he darted forwards once more. He wasn't as fast as before. Marowak took up a defensive stance anyway, though, his bone at the ready.

Infernape flew in with a dark blue foot. Marowak blocked the kick with his bone, but Infernape used the hard surface of the bone for leverage. He performed a flip, landed quicker than anyone thought possible, and aimed lower this time around. Marowak couldn't reposition his bone in time and Infernape's kick struck the side of Marowak's leg.

"Marowak," Marowak muttered. He crumbled to one knee, caught off guard by the strength of Infernape's kick.

Infernape has that effect on Pokémon, Himiko thought. His species might have been called the Flame Pokémon, but she had learned over their time together, that however strong his Fire-type attacks had become, his hidden strength had been concealed in his hands and feet and even his tail, in his ability to assault his opponents with a barrage of strikes.

A grin fell onto Himiko's face. Right on cue, she thought. Infernape was relentless. He wasn't giving Marowak any chance to recover, pelting the rival Pokémon's body with a combination of punches and kicks. Marowak was struggling; Kiawe's instructions weren't able to save his Pokémon. Himiko could sense victory. Nerves suddenly churned her stomach as her Pokemon slammed into Marowak with all his force. Then he pulled back his fist to deliver one last punch.

But the punch never arrived. Infernape froze, and confusion seized his trainer's face. Unbeknown to Himiko, Alolan Marowak's ability was Cursed Body which had disabled Infernape's attack, Close Combat.

Marowak staggered backwards as if he had expected to feel the full force of Infernape's final attack. Relief flashed in Marowak's eyes, then he regained his composure. He tightened his grip on his bone and smashed it into Infernape with all his might. Time seemed to slow for Himiko as the bone ripped into Infernape and threw her Pokémon backwards.

"Infernape!" Himiko cried, as Infernape crashed in a heap in front of her. She felt an inferno of emotions. Her concern turned to disbelief, then frustration and desperation as she said, "Get back up! Now! C'mon, Infernape!" We can't lose this . . . she nearly added.

"Infer . . . nape!" Infernape muttered, staggering to his feet but cradling his right arm against his chest.

Kiawe smiled slightly. "Marowak, it's time to unleash the power of Alola!"

"Marowak!" Marowak agreed, discovering a second, fresh wave of energy as he shifted his feet.

Power of Alola? wondered Himiko. "What do you mean?"

Kiawe started striking a pose. Marowak did the same. Confusion clouded Himiko's face, but then she sensed something. The air . . . is something happening? Is it vibrating? And she noticed energy forming around Kiawe and Marowak, trainer and Pokémon moving as one.

"They're up to something," Himiko told Infernape. "As soon as they attack, block it with Flamethrower. Then, if there's smoke, fly through at an angle and hit 'em hard with Aerial Ace."

Infernape nodded, eyes on his opponents, but Himiko's plan to counter-attack mattered not.

Marowak raised his bone and starting spinning it gracefully above his head. The air rippled. Flames appeared. A fireball unlike any Himiko had ever seen before burst into being. She felt herself tremble at the sight of it: so large that light green flames were all she could see; so hot that she thought her hair would be singed from her face.

Fear urged her to close her eyes, look away, but curiosity told fear to shut up and go away. Because Himiko had never seen an attack like it. No Fire-type attack she had experienced before could compare to it. She could feel the strength rushing around and emanating from Marowak. She was mesmerised. She refused to look away. (Even if, for a few seconds, she felt like her face was going to turn to wax and melt off.)

And then Marowak transferred his bone to his right hand. He stared at Infernape. Then he did it. His bone struck the fireball. He attacked with all the Power of Alola.

Infernape was as astonished as his trainer, so much so that he had no idea what to do as the fireball blasted against him.

When Himiko's vision was no longer flashing light green, she saw her Pokémon on the ground, collapsed. Her eyes widened at what she'd just witnessed. "Arceus, what in Sinnoh was that . . .?" she muttered. She stared at Kiawe for a moment, then turned to Infernape. She sank to her knees and cradled his head in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Infernape. Looks like we've still got a long way to go."

Infernape managed a small nod. "Infer . . . nape . . ." he murmured before closing his eyes.

"You deserve . . . a long rest," Himiko said, fighting a lump in her throat as it hit her: I lost. I failed. But that attack . . . I don't understand. I've never seen such a powerful Fire-type attack before . . . What was it? 'Power of Alola,' he said . . .

Marowak had crumbled to the ground too. The Bone Keeper Pokémon had used up the last of his energy to attack, and so Kiawe had returned his Pokémon too. Kiawe stayed where he was, though, unsure whether to approach his challenger or not.

Suddenly Himiko wanted nothing more than to get away. There's no reason to stay, she told herself. I lost. I failed. I embarrassed myself. She nearly turned away—but that attack . . . It triggered something within her. Despite all the animosity she harboured towards Kiawe and his family, a big part of her wanted to learn more.

The battle had been exhausting. Sweat trickled down Kiawe's body. He wanted to find some shade and rest, but he didn't know what to do about Himiko. Minutes must have passed. He was tempted to leave without saying anything when both his and Himiko's heads turned in the direction of someone shuffling onto the volcanic battlefield. It was an ancient-looking man with white-and-red hair, thick eyebrows, and a short scruffy beard. A Charizard padded along beside him. Old man and Pokémon shared the same slow, relaxed pace.

"Grandfather. What are you doing here?"

"Watching your battle," Kiawe's grandfather answered as though it were as obvious as a Pikachu's cuteness. He fixed black eyes on Himiko. "I recognise you. I know why you're here."

Himiko's limbs ached from battling, but his words spiked her anger. Her eyes flashed murderously. "And I bet you're here to answer for what you did!"

Charizard took a step towards Himiko.

But Kiawe's grandfather raised a hand and shook his head. "I was only a child then," he dismissed firmly. "Much like you both are now. My memory isn't as strong as it once was, but I remember a small piece of the battle, how magnificent, how exciting, how fierce it was. Maybe too much so . . . Many battlers from either family took part, but we won in the end and the embarrassment suffered by your ancestors, Himiko, led them to leaving the Island."

"They felt like they had no option but to leave. I didn't want them to leave . . ." He paused, remembering. Then he took a deep breath and continued, "But you have two options, young Himiko. You can keep judging our family by the actions of the past, or you can embrace who we are today. What happened to your family wasn't right, yes, but it was a different time, and they were entitled to leave the island or stay. Ultimately, it was their choice to leave."

Himiko wanted to scream at the stupid old fool—of course he'd say that! He knew whose fault it was, who turned her once-proud ancestors into outcasts, hopping from region to region in search of a new home!—but then her thoughts slowed. She was breathing heavily. She could feel her anger coursing through her. She thought about it and realised she didn't like the feeling.

Have I been holding onto my hate for too long?

As soon as she had found out about her family's past, she had left Hoenn behind and hurried to Alola. Even from the boat, the grey plumes spiralling up from the blackened peak on Akala Island had made it obvious where her family's wrongdoers would be hiding. Yet, between travelling there and training on the way to keep her skills sharp, the whole process had taken months and not much else had crossed her mind but hatred for Kiawe's family.

Mum, she thought. She wanted me to leave it in the past. Maybe that's what I should be doing . . .

Teenage stubbornness worked against her. She struggled to get the words out, but Akashiro Himiko felt a weight vanish from her shoulders as she said, "You're right. I might still struggle completely to get over it, but what happened wasn't your fault. It was a long time ago and people behaved differently back then."

Kiawe's grandfather nodded in agreement.

"You were on fire during our battle," Kiawe acknowledged, sounding more soft-spoken than he had during their battle. "I enjoyed it. If it wasn't for my Z-move, I'm not sure I would have won. We—"

"Z-move?! What's a Z-move?"

Kiawe's grandfather laughed. "An attack of immense power," he answered for his grandson. "There are 18 different known Z-Crystals, but you must first have a Z-Ring to use a Z-move."

Kiawe tapped his wrist. Himiko hadn't paid it much attention—she'd just presumed it was some kind of watch or accessory—but now amazement surged through her. Could such a small device really hold such power within?

Kiawe's grandfather ran his eyes critically over her. "Hmm, you might be capable enough. Maybe. But trainers must be in absolute sync with their Pokémon to unlock the full potential of a Z-move."

Passion ignited in Himiko's eyes. "You saying me and Infernape aren't in total sync, old-timer?!"

Kiawe's grandfather was about to retort when Kiawe cut in, "We should battle again sometime, maybe even for a Z-Crystal, but just for fun, to get stronger as trainers. In the spirit of competition."

"Agreed," Himiko said. "We'll find out who the greatest Fire-type trainer is."

"I know before the battle you said you weren't here for it, but take it—as a sign of the peace between our families." Kiawe took something out of his pocket. When his fingers uncurled, an amulet was visible in his palm.

Himiko had seen the bright colours and beads before, around the necks of trainers she had faced on her way to and up Wela Volcano. Before, she couldn't care less. But now, she knew her approach had to be different. It was going to take years for her to get stronger—to be the strongest Fire-type trainer she could be. To improve, she had to face trainers who specialised in other types.

On her way to Akala Island, she had seen the other Alolan Islands in the distance. Curiosity dawned in her mind at the thought of what she might find: the trainers, the Pokémon, even the Z-thingies.

She took the amulet gratefully and lowered it until it was around her neck. The last traces of her anger faded. Akashiro Himiko was looking forward to the future. And the amulet . . . the amulet felt like it belonged there.

Author's Notes:
Himiko has been a really cool character to develop. When Kokoro asked me about making an OC to replace Blaine, my first thought was to have a young character who contrasted to Blaine. I took inspiration from the Japanese shamaness-queen, Himiko, in name and in appearance. Because of Kokoro's love for Alola, I wanted to make her from Alola; I had the idea of two families clashing for supremacy in Alola, and it became a big part of her character from there on out.

I enjoyed writing Infernape vs. Marowak. Himiko was desperate to win during the battle and writing that got very gripping/intense by the time Infernape's Close Combat failed. Honestly I like a lot how I described the Z-move. That was the point where Himiko's anger faltered; she became more interested in learning about Alola.

I would also like to say a big thank you to AppleCrescent for their reviews on Gigantamax: Rampage Through Galar! Thanks for your comments, and glad you enjoyed it!

Kokoro's Notes:

I think Himiko might be one of the most well-developed characters that I've been given. I really like how invested EagleClaw got into her. I'm not sure if she'll ever come back to my stories, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. Also, wait up. Who was she battling in that flashback sequence?

Post-Credits Scene:
"Hydro Pump!" called a girl with short pitch-black hair tied back into a ponytail. She was small for a girl her age, but that didn't halt the determination radiating from her voice.

Her opponent took a deep breath. She looked formidable with dark red markings across her face, her hair braided down the middle and drawn back into a high ponytail, and a brightly-coloured amulet from some distant region hanging from her neck. She started to move her arms, striking the poses and hoping she'd performed them correctly.

The small girl with pitch-black hair—just like she'd been once—wasn't sure what her opponent was doing, a puzzled look across her face. But she will, thought the amulet bearer.

"INFERNO OVERDRIVE!" Akashiro Himiko shouted.

As she watched Infernape drive the all-powerful fireball across the battlefield, she recalled the first time someone had used a Z-move against her. She smiled at the memory.

Although, however much she wanted to win, she felt bad for her opponent. There was no escape for Vaporeon. The heat was too much. The Water-type succumbed to the pain, slumping to the ground.

Himiko recognised the disappointment in her opponent's face from her own experiences. The referee made the result official. The crowd had been silent in awe of the power they'd just witnessed, but were now cheering loudly.

Himiko approached the younger trainer and smiled fondly. "You're strong," she told her, "but your journey's just begun and you've still got plenty to discover."

Egawa Seshiru's gaze brightened at her words. "I'm annoyed I lost, but thanks!" She bowed slightly. "I hope we can have a rematch someday. My Water-types aren't losing to any Fire-types ever again!"